Child Benefit and Guardian's Allowance

Child Benefit is a benefit paid to parents or other people who are responsible for bringing up a child aged under 16 or a young person aged under 20 if they are still in full-time education up to A level or equivalent, or on certain approved training courses.

If you get Child Benefit for a child, you can also claim Guardian's Allowance if the child is not your own (biologically or by adoption) and their parents have either both died or one has died and the other is unable to look after them, for example, because they are missing or are in prison.

Both Child Benefit and Guardian's Allowance are non means tested benefits and are administered by Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC).

Latest updates

New Upper Tribunal decision (25 May 2017): CF/2762/2016 - Family benefits under Chapter 8 of Title III of Regulation 883/2004: Article 68 (Priority rules in the event of overlapping) only applies where there is actual overlapping of benefit >> More child benefit case law

New Upper Tribunal decision (28 April 2017): CSF/251/2016 - Whether the appellant’s work as a Big Issue seller was genuine and effective so that it gave rise to a right of residence for the purposes of entitlement to child benefit >> More child benefit case law

New Upper Tribunal decision (1 February 2017): CF/393/2016 and CF/1375/2016 - Whether person formerly engaged in genuine and effective self-employment is in a position to take advantage of the ECJ's decision in C-507/12 Saint-Prix / whether claimant was disqualified from child benefit on the ground that she lacked a qualifying right to reside >> More child benefit case law